Achilies pain

love42animals

Hoping can get some help here. When I walk long distances, my achilies feels like it's oing to snap, my calf hurts like crazy and my foot goes numb. At first it was just my right leg, now it's both. I do the stretches my doctor gave me before and after and it doesn't help. Anyone have this problem and know a solution? I have been walking and exercising for about 20 day, 5 days a week. Shouldn't my body be adjusting better? Please help! The pain is nearly unbearable!

RomanaW

I struggle with a similar problem and Plantar Fasciitis. I started suffering from that after a few years of excessive running in the past and lack of stretching. I can't run and sometimes walking is pain too. I had to swap for other types of exercise. I love Chaleane Extreme programme which is low impact and lots of heavy weights lifting. I have a stationary bike and cross trainer which don't cause me pain. Interestingly roller blading is great for my feet too, probably because your feet are stuck in the boots. And it burns lots of calories. I used to love running, hiking, playing squash but all of that is more or less out of question now.

nathutchings

I have the same thing. some days my ankles are so painful I just can't walk!!

I went for a gait analysis recently and the physio gave me some special exercises to do which will help to strengthen them. She also recommended using the balance exercises on the wii fit as I appear to stand in a funny position which really doesn't help .. I was shocked to find out that 40% of my body weight was resting on my right heel!! I would strongly recommend getting this done.

I also joined a gym and the trainer has put in place a special plan for me to follow which won't hurt my tendons, but still makes me feel like I've done a massive workout and so I lose weight.

mohojojo

I know and feel your pain. I was plague with achilles tendonitis in both feet for over a year. All the rehab I did didn't help too much. As long as you are on your feet it will hurt. Finally my doctor told me that I would need 3 to 6 months off my feet in order for it to heal. But I don't have that much sick time available to do that.
However, after brainstorming how to ease the pain while I work, I started walking with my ankles "loose." It's kind of hard to explain but you have to mentally focus on relaxing the feet at the ankles as you walk. It will be taking deliberate steps that seem like you're flopping your feet but without flopping your feet on the ground. So when you lift each foot try to keep the foot relaxed. Also, any time you're not walking or when your sitting, keep the foot pointed so that the achilles is in a relaxed position. I have been doing this for about a month and a half and my pain has gone away. But even still I walk this way until I am certain it has healed completely.
Hope this helps..JM

vlmay1955

I have had on and off problems with Achilles pain and tenderness. Just talked to my Dr. yesterday about it. I have several stretches I do which mostly involve lengthening and shortening the tendon such as toe raises, foot raises, etc. I do them after the run but he recommends doing them BEFORE the run as well. I also read that rolling your calf muscle on a roller helps as it relaxes the muscle, and it won't pull as much on the tendon, so I have been trying that. My Dr. also recommended putting an ice pack on the tendon for 15 minutes after every run, and taking a mild anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen. Finally, I read that good quality heel cups may help cushion your heel strike and ease stress on the tendon so I have started using them as well. All these things do seem to have helped me and I'll be interested to see how using the ice pack goes. I also started running less and doing other types of lower-impact cardio more to try and ease the stress on the tendon.

If you join the Runner's World website, they have a lot of really good info on injuries, causes and treatments. I put a link below to a good video.

http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/inside-doctors-office-keep-achilles-tendinitis-away?cm_mmc=NL-TrainingExtra-_-1174884-_-01222013-_-Inside-the-Doctor's-Office:-Achilles-Tendinitis

love42animals

Thanks for all your feedback and so quickly! This is very helpful. I never thought about tendonitis!

catsdogsandkids

Also stretches before you even get out of bed in the morning will help, point and flex and ankle rolls. And good shoes with support and cushion, had to give up the heels and flip flop type sandals. Finally after several years of trouble after tennis, my heels are pain free

compellen

I have two other suggestions for heel pain. I do both myself. Before you get out of bed every morning, draw the entire (imaginary) capital alphabet in the air with each foot, without moving your leg. This will rotate your ankles in about every direction and loosen them up before you even hit the floor in the morning. As an added side benefit, all the cracking wakes my hubby up too, heehee.

second suggestion, invest in a book called "Chi Walking". It teaches you how to use chi to help prevent injury from walking. You learn to relax your ankles and knees, land centered on your feet instead of on your heels when you walk use your abdominal muscles more than your leg muscles to walk, and use gravity to propel you forward instead of using your toes to push yourself forward. Feels a bit awkward at first, but allowed me to finally get past walking with intense ankle and heel pain, and now I run 5k's. . Good luck!

TAsunder

Your situation sounds like one that you might want to consult a doctor. I don't like the sound of numbness and tingling.

I used to have a bit of achilles pain when I was first running in minimalist shoes. I found that foam rolling on my calves was the most helpful, followed by the normal calf stretches recommended. I also made a mental effort to pay more attention to my foot position when I wasn't active - e.g. when on the couch. I noticed that it was often in a calf-clinching position.

Eventually it went away.